The Yorkton Terriers saw a 3-1 lead evaporate as the visiting Humboldt Broncos staged a narrow come-from-behind 4-3 win at the Farrell Agencies Arena last week.
Keven Cann opened the scoring for Yorkton midway through the first period assisted by Brent Struble and Zak Majkowski.
Adam Antkowiak tied the game for the Broncos to end the first period with the game knotted at one.
A pair of second period goals gave the Terriers a 3-1 lead. Brent Struble notched the first assisted by Majkowski and Tyler Giebel. Jamie Vlanich scored the second late in the frame assisted by Riley Paterson and Nathan Murray.
With less than a minute left in the period, former Terrier Robbie Ciolfi pulled Humboldt within one.
The Terriers settled into a densive mode in an attempt to protect their narrow one goal lead. The hard driving Broncos went into attack mode to score two third period goals, one from each of Riley Kieser and Antkowiak to clinch the close 4-3 win.
While the loss was disappointing, Terrier head coach Trent Cassan says it wasn't because of a lack of effort.
Cassan says Terrier netminder Kale Thomson was pretty sharp right from the start, especially in the first period when Humboldt had some powerplays and outshot the Terriers. "Not allowing a goal early on allowed us to get into the game," Cassan claims.
He suggests the Terriers competed well with the Broncos for 120 minutes both Saturday and Tuesday. Now the Terriers realize that they have to compete at that level to scratch and claw to get some points and there can't be any nights or shifts off, Cassan states.
Cassan admits the Humboldt Broncos are a talented team and their coach Dean Brockman is a good coach who knows what he's doing.
Newcomer Tyler Giebel, an 18 year-old former Regina Pat Canadian who had a stint with the Everet Silvertips of the WHL, has an opportunity to play a major scoring role with the Terriers, Cassan suggests.
The Terriers will play six games on the road over the next three weeks, Cassan points out. They know this happens every year for a couple of weeks so there's no complaints about it.
The Terriers exploded for nine goals in the first of their extended six road games to shutout the Estevan Bruins 9-0 at Spectra Place in Estevan.
Terrier centre Curtis Oliver opened the scoring with a pair of early first period goals, the first assisted by Murray and Brady Norrish and the second assisted by Murray and Paterson.
Justin Lamontagne, who also had a two goal game, notched his first late in the first assisted by Ryley Stefanyshyn to give Yorkton a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Norrish slipped the puck past the Estevan netminder Steven Glass early in the second period for Yorkton's fourth goal assisted by Ryon Sookro and Vlanich.
Yorkton's singlehanded fifth goal came off the stick of Cann midway through the period.
Paterson added York-ton's sixth goal, a powerplay marker, assisted by Murray and Cann.
Majkowski added Yorkton's seventh with less than a minute left in the period assisted by Giebel and Struble.
Sookro opened third period scoring early in the period assisted by Vlanich and Norrish.
Lamontagne capped the scoring midway through the third with his second goal of the game, a powerplay marker, assisted by John Odgers and Dylan Baer.
Terrier goalie Warren Shymko earned his first shutout of the current season.
